140 trains cancelled as rain wreaks havoc in Andhra, Telangana; IMD predicts more showers

The heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have prompted the South Central Railways to cancel 140 trains and divert 97 services on Sunday. Both states have been witnessing heavy showers for the last two days, resulting in severe flooding and waterlogging.

The cancellations and diversion resulted in over 6,000 people getting stranded at Rayanapadu, Kondapalli, Tenali, Vijayawada, Nidubrolu and Bapatla railway stations. They were provided with breakfast and drinking water on Sunday.

Several passengers were transported via buses from Rayanapaud to Vijayawada and Kondapalli to Vijayawada. As many as 84 buses were arranged. The Railways also set up helpline numbers to ensure the safety and convenience of people. The helpline numbers are; Hyderabad-27781500, Warangal-2782751, Kazipet-27782660 and Khamman-2782885.

Rivers breach banks

The flood situation continues in Vijayawada as many regions continue to be submerged on Monday morning. A rivulet on the outskirts of Vijayawada, Budameru, breached the banks on Sunday leaving many areas such as Ajit Singh Nagar, Swathi Theatre area, Police Nagar area and west and central constituencies submerged.

Besides Vijayawada, Guntur cities have also been affected. "Vijayawada-Guntur national highway at Kaza and Vijayawada-Hyderabad national highway at Jaggaiahpeta were totally marooned," Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said at a press conference at the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) in Tadepalli on Sunday.

The NH 65 at Chillakallu and Nandigama in Andhra Pradesh is inundated and the Paleru River is overflowing on the road at Nayakinigudem on the way from Suryapet to Khammam in Telangana, officials said.

Over 17,000 rain-affected people were evacuated to 107 relief camps while over 1.1 lakh hectares of agricultural fields and 7,360 hectares of horticultural fields were damaged. Officials figures from Andhra Pradesh said 10 people died in the floods while over nine people died in Telangana.

Hyderabad also witnessed heavy rains, leading to waterlogging in many parts of the city. A holiday has been declared for all schools on Monday and the government has also instructed District Collectors to declare a holiday for educational institutions as per local conditions.

IMD alert

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for many places in Andhra and Telangana. Very heavy to extremely heavy rain is forecasted at isolated places in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Rajanna Sircilla, Yadadri Bhuvangiri, Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Kamareddy and Mahabubnagar districts of Telangana on Monday.

Parts of Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Parvatipuram Manyam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Kakinada and Nandyala districts are likely to receive heavy rainfall, said an official release.

It forecast thunderstorms at isolated places in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh (NCAP), Yanam, South Coastal Andhra Pradesh (SCAP) and Rayalaseema on Monday. Similar weather has been predicted from Tuesday to Friday over NCAP and Yanam, along with strong surface winds with speeds reaching up to 40 km per hour in parts of Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, the depression over north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts, which has been causing heavy rainfall over the past two days, moved northwestwards to cross the southern state's coast near Kalingapatnam in the wee hours of Sunday, said a IMD official told PTI.

The weather system currently lay centred over south Odisha and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh, about 90 km north to northwest of Visakhapatnam and 120 km east of Malkangiri. "It is likely to move west-northwestwards across south Odisha and south Chhattisgarh to weaken into a well-marked low pressure area during the next 24 hours," the official said in a press release

PM Modi rings Andhra, Telangana CMs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday assured Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of all possible help from the Centre to deal with flooding.

"CM Chandrababu Naidu explained about the ongoing flood relief work while Modi told him that central government departments concerned have been directed to extend necessary help to the state," said an official statement released by the state government late Sunday.

The prime minister said departments have also been instructed to immediately dispatch necessary equipment, it said and added that Naidu thanked Modi for the help.

Modi also assured Revanth Reddy that helicopters that could fly even in adverse weather conditions would be sent to the state for rescue and relief operations. The Prime Minister also promised all required assistance to the state.